Liquid discharge system



Sept. 2l, 1943. c.H. LINDSAY LIQUID' DISCHARGE SYSTEM Filed Aug. 2, 1941 lNvE To BY f I I l AT1-0R 51, YS`

Patented Sept. 2l, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT y oFF-ica'.

1 Y LloUm nrcrn sns'rnM l I i Y ,Cnn-ies n. Lindsay, nimm,A N. Y., assigner to American-La France-Foamitc Corporation, Elmira, N. Y., a corporation of New York applicanonaugust 2, 1941, serial No. 405,171

y 1 claims. (ci. 169-9) The invention relatesto liquid discharge systems for pressure containers 'such as the. re extinguishing flasks' o! carbon dioxide and like extinguishing'media. Its principal object is to;

such structure to be applied to and supported byVV the operating head oi' the ilaslt so as'to be removable with the latter through .the narrowneck.

opening oi' the flask.

To this end the invention comprises an organization of concentric shells and coaxial valve ports.

and gravity valve mechanism according to the principle illustrated in the accompanyingv drawing whereinz. l

Fig. v1 represents a conventional ilask having the invention applied and Fig. 2 is a larger scale section through the intake structure.

The operating head I of conventional formis shown on a conventional dask and may be understood to contain a sealing disc which is puncformed on the shell 4 but is indicated. as carried on an inserted element; either way suillces.

The annular space between the concentric shells 4 and v6 constitutes a chamber which is in permanent communication with, the"v operating head by way of the ducts' Ill bored in the stem 5, and the chamber represented by the space inside the inner shell 6 is in permanent communication with the flask space near the head end of the ask, through a ring of eyelet tubes II.

" Thevcross area. of the annular chamber, between shells 4 and 6, andthe aggregate area of the cross ducts I0. each equals or exceeds the area of the passageway through the loperating head, andsimilarlythe aggregate areas of the eyelet tubes II approximate or exceed -that same pastured when the contents of the flask are to be delivered. Such head is screwed into the neck opening 2 of the iiask and the dip-tube structure about to be described is mounted on the inner end oi the head, or so as to be removable whe the head has been removed.

'I'his structure includes a flexible intake section 3 provided with a weight bob at its far end and-a coupling member 4 by which such flexible section is mechanically attached to the head. The' intake section is flexible in order that its lower end will drop into the liquid in the lower part of the ask when vthe latter is in inclined positions, but instead oi being itself lilexible it could be rigid and connected to the coupling member 4 by-a ball joint as sometimes used in this art. n As shown, it is connected by solder.

The coupling member 4 is constituted of a main cylindrical shell or casing 4 of a diameter no greater than that of the neck -openlng so that it can pass through it and all or the ow controllingzelementsarehoused lwithin this casing. It is attached to the head in any appropriate way, in the present case by being screwed on to the stem 5 of a cylindrical shell 6 coaxialiy located within the shell 4. which stem 5 in this case is screwed into the head, thus forming the connection. l

The end of the shell 4 that is attached to the intake section 3 is provided with avalve chamber formed witha valve port 8 and containing an associated ball valve 8. The valve port may be sageway, so that no point of constriction to the flow occurs hin the construction described.

The central chamber 6 communicates with the annular chamber kof shell 4 through a valve port 'l2 formed on the lower end of the shell 6 and provided with'an associated ball valve I3 which can roll in this shell to a position below the eyelet tubes II, when the ilask is inclined past. horizontal.

Each of the ports 8 and I2, as can be seen; also provides a flow-way at least as large as the discharge passageway through the operating head. These ports are coaxial and proximate, and loosely confined between them is a iio'ating spacer I4 so dimensioned that when the ball of one-port moves to its seat the spacer pushes the other ball oil its seat, in case' it should adhere to it for l"any cause, thus assuring that one or the other., of vsaid ports will always be open.

. Normally, `with fiask'erect, the spacer rests on and out of the head, escape of vapor being pre.- vented by the closure oi valve I3. When the ask isinverted, or in a position inclined to or more than 90 from vertical, the valve mechanlsm is reversed, port 8 being then closed and port I2 open, so that liquid from the then bottom part of the ilask, enters through the eyelet tubes c I I into inner or central chamber 6 and thence flows by outer annular chamber 4 to and through the operating head, vapor escape in this case being prevented by closed valve 9. In lneither case does the coupling structure oppose any greater restriction to flow than is found in the operating head itself, which fact is important for carbon dioxide systems in particular because restriction leads to expansion, cooling and freezing of the liquid, preventing its prompt discharge.

I claim: y

1. In a liquid discharge system a container or flask, an operating head adapted to be removably screwed into the neck opening thereof and a dip-tube structure within the flask including a movablev intake section extending toward the opposite end of the flask and a coupling member connecting such section to the outlet passage in the head, such coupling member containing concentric chambers, means providing a permanently open communication from one of said chambers to the operating head, means providing a permanently open communication from another of said chambers to the flask space adjacent the head, aport connecting said chambers with each other and a port connecting one of coaxial chambers, one of said chambers being in permanent communication with the operating head and the other with the flask space adjacent the head, a port connecting said chambers with each other, another port connecting one of said chambers with said intake section, and gravity valve mechanism for alternately closing said ports according to the position of the ask.

3. In a liquid4 discharge system, a gas flask, an operating head secured in the neck-opening thereof, a dip-tube structure within the flask inable intake section extending toward the opposite end of the flasky and a coupling member between such section and the head, such coupling member comprising a cylindrical casing containing a concentric shell and therewith forming two chambers, one ofsaid" chambers being in permanently. open communication with the operating head, and the other being in permanently open communication with the flask space adjacent the head, a port connecting said chambers with each other, a second port connecting one of said chambers with said intake section, and gravity valve mechanism for alternately closing said ports according to flask position.

cluding a movable intake section extending toward the opposite'end of the ask and a coupling member connecting such section to the head, such coupling member comprising a casing adapted to pass through said neck-opening and containing two coaxial chambers, means providing a permanently open communication from one of said chambers to the operating head, means providing a permanently open communication from the other chamber to the flask space adjacent the head, a port forming a communication between said chambers, another port con^ necting one of said chambers with said intake section and gravity valve mechanism in said casing for alternately closing said ports according to the flask position.

4. In a liquid discharge system a gas flask, an operating head therefor and a dip-tube struc` ture supported within the ilask including amov- `5. In a liquid` discharge system a gas ilask, an operating head' screwed into the neck opening vthereof anda dip-tube structure within the iiask connected with such head and including an `intakesection extending toward the opposite end of the flask and a coupling member connecting such section with the head, such coupling member containing a wall forming concentric chambers in permanently opencommunication with the operating head and the ilask space adjacent the head, respectively, the interior chamber having a port in said wall for connecting it with the outer chamber and said intake section having a port connecting it withsaid outer chamber, said ports being ,coaxial and proximate to each other, and gravity valve mechanism for alternately closing said ports aecording to the flask position. "l

6. In a liquid discharge system a flask, a diptube structure therein including an intake section and a cylindrical 'casing forming the connection therefor to the Voutlet of the flask, an inner shell in said. casing forming concentric chambers therein, the outer chamber having connection with the flask outlet and the inner chamber having one or more eyelet tubes, crossing throughthe outer chamber,connecting it with the flask space exteriorof. said vcasing and gravity valve mechanismv controlling the flow through said intake section and chambers.

7. In a liquid discharge system, a pressure ask having a discharge head in its 4neck opening and a dip-tube structure connected with the head comprising an intake section and a cylindrical casing forming the vconnection between vsaid intake section and the discharge head, said two adjacent coaxial ports and'ball valve mecha nism controlling such ports. the outlet sides of said ports being in permanent communication with the outlet passage through said neck "openingjand the inlet sides of s'aid portsbeing in communication, respectiveh, with said intake section and the space in the flask adjacent said discharge head. y

CHARLES H. LINDSAY. 

